News Release

NEW-LOOK WHALERS CONTINUE TO ROLL, 7-2, OVER SAGINAW

SAGINAW – The Plymouth Whalers received two goals each from Jared Boll and Andrew Fournier and single goals from veteran Evan Brophey and newcomers Sean O’Connor and Daniel Ryder in a 7-2 victory over the Saginaw Spirit in an Ontario Hockey League game played Friday night before 4,105 at the Dow Event Center.

The Whalers remain in first place in the OHL West with a record of 27-11-1-2, good for 57 points. Plymouth is tied for first with Sarnia (26-11-2-3), who won in overtime on Friday, 2-1, over Guelph. The Whalers have one game in hand on the Sting. Saginaw is now 25-14-0-2, good for 52 points and five points behind Plymouth and Sarnia.

Although Boll and Fournier were the game’s first and second stars, respectively, Plymouth received instant dividends from their OHL Trade Deadline deals earlier in the week. O’Connor – a Brownstown, MI native over from Erie in a trade on Tuesday – scored in the first period to give Plymouth a 2-0 lead at the time. He later added an assist and a fight in the game for a Gordie Howe Hat Trick (goal, assist and fight). Ryder – acquired from Peterborough Wednesday for John Armstrong and three future draft choices – assisted on O’Connor’s goal in the first period and scored the final goal for Plymouth in the second period, to give the Whalers a 6-1 lead after forty minutes of play. Defenseman Steven Whitely – acquired Tuesday from Belleville – added an assist and played a steady game with defense partner Ryan McGinnis.

Cody Bass (6^th) and Ryan O’Marra (12^th) scored the lone Saginaw goals. 

Plymouth led 2-1 after one period and 6-1 after two.

Boll got the scoring started at 4:18 of the first period when he skated in from the left faceoff dot in the Saginaw zone and cut in front of the Spirit net, left to right, and stuffed the puck by Saginaw goaltender Ryan Daniels for his 15^th goal of the season. O’Connor made it 2-0 at 9:11 of the period when he capped good Plymouth pressure on the power play with a shot from the slot past Daniels for his ninth goal of the season. Bass replied for Saginaw to cut the Plymouth lead to 2-1 at 14:58 of the period when he batted home a rebound past Whalers goaltender Michal Neuvirth.

The Whalers blew the game open for good in the second period with four unanswered goals. Brophey tipped Wes Cunningham’s left point shot past Daniels from the left wing lip of the crease at 4:15 for his 18^th goal of the season. Boll’s second goal of the night and 16^th of the season was a spectacular play at 13:51, when he overpowered a Saginaw defender for the puck at the Spirit blue line, skated to the right faceoff dot and scored with the shot as he was being knocked down on the play. Fournier’s first of the night and 9^th of the season came at 15:18 when he cut over the Saginaw zone from the right wing to the hashmarks and beat Daniels with a shot to the top shelf. Ryder’s first as a Whaler and 25^th of the season came with 18 seconds left in the second period when he ripped a shot from the top of the left circle past Daniels on a Plymouth power play.

Fournier (10th at 6:45) and O’Marra (12th at 10:18) traded goals in the third period to close the scoring. Saginaw outshot Plymouth, 33-30.

After hosting Windsor on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m., the Whalers will host Saginaw on Monday at 2:00 p.m. at the Compuware Sports Arena. Tickets are available by calling the Compuware Sports Arena at (734) 453-8400 at by going to Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.